Genesius Guild
2003 Season
Study Guide
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Genesius Guild
2003 Summer Season
For 47 years, the Genesius Guild has presented free, outdoor productions
of classic works in Lincoln Park, Rock Island, Illinois, using an outdoor stage
constructed by members of the amateur theatre group. Over time, the
program has grown to include Shakespearean drama, Greek tragedy in mask,
modern interpretations of Greek comedy, opera in English, and professional
ballet.
This program is designed to give citizens of the Quad City region easy
access to the great works of Western Civilization; to provide to all who are
interested an opportunity to perform in great works of art; to foster an
appreciation of and dedication to the best in performance art.
The guild is supported by the Genesius Theatre Foundation, a tax-exempt
organization charged with promoting the classics; by the Rock Island Park
Board, continuing an 80-year commitment to supporting local dramatic
performance; through sponsorships of local organizations, grants from Iowa
and Illinois Arts Councils, and the contributions of its audience.
The group is open to all who wish to participate. Tryouts for the four
plays presented every year are held on the first two Sundays in June, with
additional tryouts set for two days in between. No parts are pre-cast.
Everyone auditioning has an equal opportunity to secure roles on and off
stage.
During the summer season, the guild may be contacted at two telephone
numbers: 788-7113 (the Lincoln Park stage) or 786-5420 (the guild costume
house, 1120 40th Street, Rock Island). Additional information may be
obtained by visiting the guild’s website at www.genesius.org.
The Genesius Guild gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the
following agencies, corporations, and foundations for the preparation and
publication of this study guide.
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Summer Schedule
2003
Tryouts
June 1 and 8 (1 pm)
June 3 and 5 (7 pm)
June 14, 15
June 21, 22
Gilbert & Sullivan: “Trial By Jury”
(Opera At Augustana)
June 28, 29
July 5, 6
Shakespeare: “Henry IV, Part One”
(Prince Hal & Hotspur)
July 12, 13
July 19, 20
Euripides: “The Bacchae”
July 26, 27
August 2, 3
Shakespeare: “Henry IV, Part Two
(Falstaff & the Young King)
August 9, 10
August 16, 17
Aristophanes: “Plutus”
(a contemporary version)
August 22, 23, 24
“Ballet Under the Stars”
(Ballet Quad Cities)
All performances at 8 pm
Lincoln Park Theatre
Rock Island, Illinois
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About the 2003 Schedule
The summer begins with an encore production by “Opera@Augustana.”
This time, it’s a one-act comedy by the Victorian team of Gilbert and Sullivan,
a humorous treatment of a man’s attempt to avoid a suit brought by his
fiancee, in front of a seriously compromised judge and jury.
This season also brings the guild back to its initial Shakespearean
production: “Henry IV,” first staged in 1960. That history play was selected to
inaugurate a new Shakespeare tradition because it seems to have it all: strong
plot, solid characters, lofty poetry, romance, sword-play, and excellent humor
- a generous sampling of the Bard’s dramatic art; a play with an immediate
appeal to audiences at all levels. The two separate plays tell two separate, yet
interconnected, stories.
The Euripides production, “The Bacchae” is a stunning cry against the
universe by an embittered man at the end of his life. It has been called
“terrifying,” not because of spectacular effects - the Greeks managed to have
all the bloody scenes handled offstage - but because of what it says about the
human condition and the indifference of the Greek gods to human sufffering.
Most of Aristophanes’ comedies dealt with war and peace, being written
when Athens and Sparta were locked in the death-struggle of the
Peloponnesian War. Aristophanes used his plays to ridicule the impulse to go
to war and to urge an end to the fighting. In “Plutus,” he addresses a more
benign and universal subject: the unfair distribution of wealth on earth.
The season ends with the guild’s seventh annual “Ballet Under the
Stars,” a program by Ballet Quad Cities, the community’s resident,
professional ballet company. The program of diverse dances not only
concludes the guild’s summer program, but also serves as an introduction to
BQC’s 2003 - 2004 season.
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Gilbert & Sullivan
These two names have been inseparable in the public mind since they
began their collaboration in 1871 in a series of light operas which are still
performed around the world.
William Schwenck Gilbert was born in 1836 and worked for a while as
an unsuccessful lawyer in London. He started contributing amusing verses to
“Fun” magazine under the pen-name of Bab (a childhood nickname). He later
published “Bab Ballads” and contributed light material to the celebrated
humor magazine, “Punch.”
Arthur Seymour Sullivan was trained as a serious musician and
composed in a variety of forms. He was also something of a scholar. Working
with the eminent musicologist, Sir George Grove, he discovered the lost
“Rosamunde” music by Schubert. He was well-known in his day as the
composer of “The Lost Chord,” a sentimental, quasi-religious song that was
soon popular in all English-speaking countries. Ironically, he is remembered
for his “light”work with Gilbert rather
than for his “serious” compositions.
Gilbert and Sullivan were brought
together in 1871 to produce “Thespis,” a
satirical treatment of the Olympian
gods, noted as much for its chorus girls
as for its music. Four years later, under
the astute management of impresario
Richard D’Oyly Carte, their second
collaboration, “Trial By Jury,” initiated
an unbroken string of 14 enormously
popular comic operas.
Sullivan’s music provided the
perfect setting for Gilbert’s light,
ludicrous, topsy-turvy wit. Their long
association earned both men
knighthoods and personal fortunes, but
it was marked by disagreements and
separations. An argument over
expensive carpeting in the Savoy
Theatre, built expressly for their works
in 1881, eventually led to a separation.
The recent movie, “Topsy Turvy,” is
about their working relationship.
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Trial By Jury
by Gilbert & Sullivan
This short work began as a comic ballad written by Gilbert for “Fun”
magazine. The work was based on Gilbert’s experiences as a young lawyer in
Clerkenwell. The author later submitted it to impresario Carl Rosa as a possible
libretto for an opera. Arthur Sullivan composed the music and Gilbert proposed
its performance to Doyly Carte in 1874. It was presented, with Sullivan
conducting, at the Royalty Theatre in London on March 25, 1875, as the final
part of a triptych of one-act operas. It was a tremendous success and survived
its counterparts to have a run of 131 performances.
* * *
A breach of promise suit is brought by the pretty, scheming Angelina
against the ingenuous defendant Edwin. It is obvious the Court Usher and allmale jury sympathize with the beautiful plaintiff. Edwin pleads his case,
arguing that, while he once was in love with Angelina, he now is infatuated
with another. The jury agrees that they were once impetuous young men like
him, but are now respectable and can no longer condone his conduct.
The judge enters and tells that he became a judge by marrying a
prominent attorney’s “elderly, ugly daughter” who might “very well pass for 43
in the dark with the light behind her.” Once he became rich himself, he then
divorced his wife and now is ready to try this case for “Breach of Promise of
Marriage.”
The plaintiff enters with her bridesmaids and gives her tearful testimony.
In desperation, Edwin offers to marriage Angelina as well as his present love,
but that, it is pointed out, would be another crime.
After many shifts of argument, the trial ends happily, with the judge
claiming Angelina for himself.
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William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford, England shortly before April
26, 1564. He died in the same village on April 23, 1616. His christening
occurred on April 26, and historians prefer to place his birth on the 23rd, to
align his birth with his death, but he probably was born a few days earlier.
It also helps that April 23rd is the Feast day of St. George, England’s
patron saint.
Shakespeare came from a Catholic family at a time when it was becoming
dangerous to be a papist. His father was a prominent citizen, rising to the
position of mayor. His subsequent fall from eminence may well have been a
consequence of the religious tensions of the time. At any rate, Shakespeare
made it his life’s ambition to restore the family to its former position,
something he achieved through the fame and fortune he secured through his
work as a playwright and actor.
Shakespeare was educated at the Stratford school and his plays reflect
the topics he studied there. The country life of Stratford is also present in his
works, even when they
are set in exotic places.
This is especially true
of the two plots which
were drawn from his
own imagination. The
majority of his works
were based on earlier
plays by other authors.
It is likely that he
served as a household
instructor/entertainer
during early manhood,
but we have no
concrete evidence of
this. It is also likely
that he joined a troupe
of travelling actors
when they visited
Stratford, short one
performer.
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Hoewever it happened, we find him in London, leaving wife and children
behind in Stratford, but not abandoning them. He made regular visits home
and lavished his income on their welfare.
He first came to prominence as a poet in the household of Lord
Southampton, but was soon the best-known playwright in London, attracting
the envy of some, but the general admiration of most. He collaborated with
other playwrights, but often wrote alone. Certainly, his great plays are the
product of a single sensibility.
He began with comedies and histories, but gradually moved into the
nobler realm of tragedy, producing the greatest poetic dramas in the English
language. He retired from the stage and returned to live out his days with
honor in Stratford. Before finally retiring, he collaborated with John Fletcher
on several plays when the younger man was engaged to replace him as the
King’s Men’s resident author.
Shakespeare’s dramatic creations are of such an exceptional nature that
some scholars have tried to assign their authorship to others, especially some
lesser poets and noblemen who had university training. The reasoning being
that only someone with a college degree would be capable of such dazzling
work.
This is a pointless exercise, as Shakespeare had the same education as
Ben Jonson, an acknowledged playwright, who, incidentally, was indebted to
Shakespeare for getting his plays accepted for performance. There is also the
fact that the plays demonstrate an intimate knowledge of both the theatre and
the men who made up his acting company. It is fairly easy to portray the
nobility and to cobble up information on foreign lands. What is not so easy is
for a nobleman to understand country life to the ground, which was one of
Shakespeare’s great dramatic strengths.
Shakespeare was simply a unique genius, rather like Mozart, whose
musical inspiration and creations are inexplicably beyond that of other
composers, even as Shakespeare’s works stand at the pinnacle of poetic
drama.
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Henry IV, Parts One and Two
by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s history plays take us through the War of the Roses, a
strugggle between two great families, descended from King Edward III, for the
throne of England. The division begins in “Richard II,” when that king, of the
House of York, is deposed by Henry Bolingbroke of the House of Lancaster, who
will become Henry IV.
The two Henry IV plays take us through this king’s reign, ending with the
coronation of his ne’er-do-well son, Prince Hal, as Henry V. In subsequent plays,
we follow the fortunes of these two families as first one, then the other,
assumes the throne, culminating in “Richard III” with the victory of Henry VII,
who ends the War of the Roses by combining both royal lines into the House of
Tudor and ruthlessly killing off all claimants to the throne.
What gives the Henry IV plays their great appeal is the presence of a fat,
rascally knight named Falstaff, with whom Prince Hal spends his youth.
Falstaff is one of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters and his comedy
tends to dominate the action. He was so popular with audiences that
Shakespeare had to kill him off in “Henry V,” lest he detract from the heroism of
young King Henry V.
“Henry IV, Part One,” deals with a rebellion against King Henry by his
former allies. The subplot concerns the idle life led by the heir to the throne,
Prince Hal, who spends his time with London’s riff-raff, even going so far as to
join them in robbery.
The play ends with the defeat of one faction of the rebels led by Hotspur, a
young man as much in love with honor and battle as Hal is with pleasure.
“Henry IV, Part Two” picks up the story ten years later (although
Shakespeare makes it seem to follow Part One immediately). The play continues
the fight against the balance of Henry IV’s enemies, but the historical action
merely serves as a framework for the foolery of the “tavern gang” of Falstaff
and his cronies. At play’s end, Hal, now the king, coldly dismisses the fat
knight and all his former friends, laying the groundwork for his appearance as
the virtuous hero king in “Henry V.”
The machinations of English royalty were common knowledge to English
citizens. What made these plays so appealing to theatre-goers was
Shakespeare’s intimate knowledge of the “underside” of English society and the
vitality, insight, and accuracy with which he brings it to the stage.
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The plays were not written in chronological order. As nearly as scholars can
place them, they follow in this sequence:
Henry VI, Parts One through Three 1589 - 1591
Richard III
1592-93
Richard II
1595
Henry IV, Parts One & Two
1596-98
Henry V
1599
The historical sequence of kings:
Richard II
Henry IV
Henry V
Henry VI
Edward IV
Edward V
Richard III
Henry VII
(1377
(1399
(1413
(1422
(1461
(1483
(1483
(1485
-
1399)
1413)
1422)
1461)
1483)
1483)
1485)
1509)
(Lancastrian kings are all named Henry; others are of the House of York)
Part One
The play begins with Henry IV hoping to make a pilgrimage to the Holy
Land as penance for the murder of King Richard II. But news of a victory by
the Welshman, Owen Glendower, over Lord Mortimer interrupts his hopes. He
then learns that young Harry Percy (Hotspur), fighting in Scotland, has taken
numerous prisoners, but refuses to turn them over to the king. Henry sees in
all this a plot by Worcester, Hotspur’s uncle, to usurp the throne.
The second scene takes us to the Boar’s Head tavern, where Prince Hal
spends his time with Sir John Falstaff, a fat knight, given more to wine and
scandalous behavior than to military exploits. Ned Poins, one of Hal’s
dissolute friends, enters with news that a quantity of gold and valuables will
be passing through Eastcheap on its way to Canterbury. It would be an easy
matter for them to waylay and rob the travellers. Hal refuses, but when
Falstaff leaves, Poins tells him that they should prompt Falstaff to the theft
and them rob him, in order to hear what lies he will tell afterward. Hal agrees
and, when alone, excuses his behavior by claiming that he will redeem all
when he becomes king.
King Henry meets with Worcester, Northumberland, and
Northumberland’s son, Hotspur. A quarrel erupts and the king threatens his
former allies if they do not obey him. Hotspur is beside himself with anger
and is only calmed down when his uncle and father tell him that they have
allied with others, including former Scotch and Welsh enemies, to overthrow
the king.
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Carriers pause in their journey as
one of Falstaff’s cronies sizes up the prospect
for robbing them. Further down the road, the
thieves gather, but Poins and Hal have tied
Falstaff’s horse a distance away, so that the fat
knight must go afoot. Hal and Poins leave and
put on disguises. Falstaff and his men rob the
travellers, bind them, and start sharing the
money. Poins and Hal leap out at them, and
chase the would-be thieves away. They then
take the money and head back to the tavern to
hear what Falstaff will say.
Hospur receives news that an ally
on whom he counted has decided not to join
the rebellion. As he prepares to leave, his wife
enters and demands to know what is going on
in a playful scene between the two young
lovers.
Prince Hal and Poins return to the
tavern where the prince spends a considerable
amount of time teasing a slow-witted servant
boy. When Falstaff enters with his comrades,
he tells a story of being set upon and robbed by
men who multiply in number as the tale
continues. When Hal and Poins reveal the
truth, Falstaff has a ready explanation, but is
disappointed to learn that Hal has returned the
money.
A messenger arrives with news of the imminent rebellion. Falstaff tells
Hal that his father will have harsh words for him soon, and suggests that they
practice for the meeting. Falstaff plays King Henry at first, but Hal insists that
they change places in a what becomes a very funny scene.
A sheriff arrives looking for the thieves, especially a very fat one. Falstaff
has hidden behind a curtain and Hal sends the sheriff away. Looking behind
the curtain, he finds Falstaff asleep and goes through his pockets, finding
that the fat knight spends all his money on sack (a form of wine).
The rebel conspirators meet, but soon get into an argument. Hotspur
cannot take Owen Glendower’s claims of spiritual powers seriously. His uncle
Worcester calms him down as the ladies enter. Mortimer’s wife sings a Welsh
song as Hotspur and his wife tease one another lovingly.
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Prince Hal is summoned into his father’s presence and is roundly
scolded for his behavior. He convinces the king of his loyalty and promises to
take a leading role in the coming battle.
Falstaff complains to the hostess of the tavern that someone picked his
pocket while he was asleep and claims to have lost much money and a
valuable ring. Hal enters and shows Falstaff yet again to be a liar. He then
tells Falstaff that he has obtained a command for him in the war - on foot and leaves to join the war.
As Hotspur, Worcester, and their Scots ally, Douglas, prepare for battle,
they learn that Hotspur’s father, Northumberland, is ill and cannot join them.
Sir Richard Vernon enters to inform them that Owen Glendower is delayed
and will not be in the field either. Hotspur refuses to back down and urges
them forward to fight.
Falstaff comes to the field with a ragged troop of men he has impressed.
He has let the wealthy buy out their service by using poor men as substitutes.
Hal and Westmoreland enter and all press on to the battle.
The rebels argue, but
Hotspur insists on fighting that
very night. A messenger comes
from Henry IV with offer of a
parley. In the next brief scene,
some of Hotspur’s allies, absent
from the field, worry about the
outcome of the battle that is
shaping up at Shrewsbury.
In parley, the king offers
gracious terms to Worcester
and Vernon if they will lay
down their arms. Hal offers to
fight Hotspur in single combat,
but the king refuses.
As they return, Worcester
gets Vernon to agree not to tell
Hotspur of the king’s generous
offer. A messenger enters to tell
them the king is in the field
and they leave to fight.
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In the heat of battle, the Scotsman Douglas kills a man disguised as
Henry IV. After he and Hotspur leave, Falstaff enters, frightened that he might
have to fight. When Hal enters, Falstaff boasts of his deeds. Hal tries to take a
pistol from Falstaff’s case, only to find that it contains a bottle of sack.
Douglas encounters the real King Henry and is on the point of defeating
him when Hal enters and drives Douglas away. Hotspur then encounters Hal
and they fight as Falstaff watches. Douglas re-enters to fight with Falstaff who
quickly feigns death. Hal gives Hotspur a mortal wound and the young man
dies in the prince’s arms. Hal then spies Falstaff, whom he assumes to be
dead. After he leaves, Falstaff gets up, stabs the dead Hotspur in the thigh
and takes him up on his back, to claim him as his victim.
Hal returns with his
brother John and is amazed
to find Falstaff alive,
claiming to have defeated
Hotspur in single combat.
The battle ends in victory
for Henry’s forces and the
play ends with a promise to
continue the fight until all
the rebels are defeated.
* * *
Part Two
An actor who
personifies “Rumor” starts
the play by relating how
contradictory accounts of
the recent Battle of
Shrewsbury are being
circulated.
In the first scene, this
is demonstrated as Lord
Northumberland receives
news that his son, Hotspur,
has defeated the king, only to hear from a second messenger that Hotspur is
dead and the king, victorious. Grieved at the news, Northumberland resolves
to continue the fight, despite his illness.
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Falstaff, now attended by a tiny
page, begins his domination of the
play with a humorous monologue.
He is accosted by the Chief Justice,
who once arrested Prince Hal for
striking him. He accuses Falstaff of
robbery but Falstaff claims the
protection of Prince Hal and the
Chief Justice leaves him alone, as
Falstaff claims he is on his way to
York to serve the king.
Another groups of malcontents
plot to rebel against the king:
Mowbray, Archbishop York,
Hastings, and Lord Bardolph.
Hostess Quickly has called in
officers Fang and Snare to arrest
Falstaff in order to collect the money
he owes her. In the scuffle that
follows, the Chief Justice enters and
Falstaff promises to pay his debts.
The Chief Justice receives a message
that a war is at hand.
Hal tells Poins of his father’s
illness and his distress at the news. The page brings a letter from Falstaff and
the prince decides that he and Poins will disguise themselves as servants to
watch Falstaff’s behavior with Hostess Quickly and Doll Tearsheet.
Hotspur’s widow urges his father, Northumberland, not to fight, but to
escape to Scotland. He reluctantly agrees.
There follows a scene of foolery at the tavern with Hal and Poins
watching an affecting scene between Falstaff and Doll Tearsheet in which
Falstaff calls the prince a shallow fellow who might make a good servant.
When Hal and Poins reveal themselves, Falstaff cleverly excuses himself. The
tavern gang (Quickly, Tearsheet, Bardolph, and Peto) are joined by Ancient
Pistol, a florid braggart who will continue from this point into “Henry V.” Word
comes that a battle is taking shape and the Prince and Poins leave hurriedly.
King Henry, plagued by illness and remorse, cannot sleep. His monologue
on this theme is a memorable one. Warwick assures him that his army will
emerge victorious.
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A long scene ensues, introducing Justices Shallow and Silence. Shallow
was a student with Sir John Falstaff in their youth. The scene involves the
recruitment of a shabby troop and the reminiscenses of Falstaff and Shallow:
a warm and richly funny sequence.
Westmoreland visits the rebels, rebukes them, and asks them to parley
with Prince John, Hal’s brother, who will offer them generous terms if they
will quit the field. They agree to meet with him.
Prince John meets the rebels and offers them fair terms. The rebels
dismiss their army, whereupon Prince John arrests them as traitors.
Sir John Colville surrenders to Falstaff who turns him over to Prince
John. Prince John sends Colville to execution with the others and leaves.
Falstaff complains that this prince is no friend of his, as is his brother. He
explains that Prince John’s cold nature is due to his not drinking sherry.
King Henry, very ill, receives news of his victory, but worries still about
Hal. He is carried into the Jerusalem chamber.
Hal visits his sleeping father. He fears that he is dead. Musing on the
crown, he places it on his head and briefly leaves the room. The king awakens
and sees that his crown is missing. When Hal returns, the king chastises him
for wishing him dead and himself the king. Hal movingly defends himself and
the king, reassured, gives him advice on how to rule when he comes to the
throne.
After Shallow converses with his servant, Falstaff prepares to leave for
London, musing once again on Shallow’s ridiculous behavior.
The Chief Justice hears that the king has died and fears that he will
suffer under the new king, having jailed him in the pursuit of his duty. Hal
enters and tells the Chief Justice that not only does he bear him no ill will,
but will use him as his counsellor, having need of such an honest and upright
man.
Falstaff visits with Shallow. Pistol enters with news that the king is dead;
Hal is now the new king. Falstaff and everyone prepare to rush off to London
to revel in their new fortune under a king who is their friend.
Officers come to the tavern to arrest Hostess Quickly and Doll Tearsheet
on orders from the Chief Justice.
Falstaff, Shallow and friends wait in the street to see King Henry V pass
by. When he comes into view, Falstaff calls out to him, only to be rebuked and
dismissed. The Chief Justice arrests them all.
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Notes on the Henry IV Plays
The poet Robert Auden asserted that “It is difficult to imagine that a
historical play as good as Henry IV will ever again be written.”
It’s a safe bet. This play sums up all of the things that made
Shakespeare so wildly popular in his own time and place: lofty poetry, vivid
characters, ample swordplay, romance, and comedy of the highest order.
This is arguably the best play with which to begin a study of
Shakespeare. It delights audiences when seen and, after, rewards close
reading.
On one level, the play is a study in contrast between the impetuous,
hyper-active, honor-struck Harry Percy (Hotspur) and the cool, calculating,
heir to the throne, Prince Hal. Shakespeare sharpens the difference between
them until they meet and settle their rivalry on the field of battle.
A contrast may also be drawn between Hotspur and Falstaff. Both are
voluble speakers. But Hotspur is active where Falstaff is passive. Hotspur is
willing to force circumstance to afford him opportunity; he is willing to fight
insuperable odds. Falstaff “surrrenders to the moment” as Auden puts it. He
takes only those opportunities circumstance gives him.
It is interesting to note that Hotspur scorns “mincing poetry,” yet his
language is vivid and dramatic, almost aflame with ambition and desire. Yet
his desire is not for mundane or homely things, but for honor in the field of
battle and he is reckless in pursuit of it.
King Henry is two different people in the two plays. In Part One he is
vigorous and involved. In Part Two, he is old and passive. He and his son are
both calculating people. The father held himself aloof from the common crowd
while his son spends all his time consorting with commoners, yet both
cynically use people and situations to achieve their ends.
King Henry seems obsessed with worry, troubled by the manner in which
he claimed the throne, guilty over Richard II’s murder, and as possessive of
his crown as a miser is of his gold. His speeches can be magnificent, but he
becomes a much diminished character as the plays proceed.
There is a diminishment in Falstaff as well. While he is witty throughout,
in Part One his imagery is drawn from Biblical and literary sources and
displays a fine sensitivity to nature and sport. In Part Two, his images become
more grotesque and ribald, betraying a certain deterioration of spirit.
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The Falstaff subplot runs away with the story. Fairly balanced with the
main plot in Part One, Falstaff and his cohorts simply swamp the kingly
quarrels in Part Two. The first play builds to an exciting military climax while
the impending battle in the second is avoided by the treacherous negotiations
deceitfully conducted by Prince John.
Shakespeare gives all his characters their due; when Hotspur and
Falstaff speak of honor, their opposite views are clearly and forcefully stated.
Every role, however brief, is memorable. Even the absent carrier, Robin, in Act
II, Scene 1, is fully drawn in a single line: “Poor fellow never joy’d since the
price of oats rose, it was the death of him”
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Euripides
Euripides was born between 480 and 484 B.C.E., mostly probably on the
island of Salamis. He was the son of Muesarchus (or Muesarchides) and grew
up in a well-to-do family. It’s likely that his mother was of a prominent family;
Aristophanes’ joke that she was a green-grocer was funny because it so far off
the mark.
Little is known of his life, apart from the fact that he began his
professional career as a painter. He was moderate in his views, but did not
take an active part in public life as did Aeschylus and Sophocles.
Commentators speculate that he was morose and deduce from his plays that
he was a misogynist. These are simply guesses.
Certainly he was interested in philosophy and the issues of his day.
Although from the same period as Sophocles, his tragedies seem to be from a
different age. His plays focus on individuals, ideas, and passions rather than
on community. During his lifetime he aroused great interest and great
opposition. In 408 B.C.E. he visited the court of Archelaus, King of Macedon,
and died there around 406/407 B.C.E. Sophocles is said to have dressed the
chorus of his next play in mourning as a
tribute.
Euripides was the third of the classic Greek
playwrights and author of some 90 dramas, only
19 complete scripts of which survive. Littlle
regarded in his lifetime, he became
extraordinarily popular after his death and his
plays were often revived. At the beginning of his
career, he wrote formal tragedies, but gradually
his stories evolved into hybrid forms.
While his plots were popular and exciting,
he sometimes achieved his effects at the cost of
consistent character development. He devised
involving stories, but often solved them quickly
by having a god intervene at the end of the play.
(The term for this is “deus ex machina” - a
Latin phrase meaning, literally, “the god from
the machine.” This comes of the practice in
Greek theatre of having the god appear above
the building at the rear of the stage area and
coming down in some kind of hoist.)
He was awarded first prize only five times,
the last coming after his death. This final prize
was for “The Bacchae.
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Euripides’ surviving plays:
Alcestis
Andromache
The Bacchae
The Children of Herakles
The Cyclops (a satyr play)
Elektra
Hecuba
Helen
Herakles
Hippolytus
Ion
Iphigenia in Aulis
Iphigenia in Taurus
Medea
Orestes
The Phoenician Women
Rhesus (possibly by someone else)
The Suppliant Women
The Trojan Women
You might note the sequence of plays beginning with “Hecuba” and
ending with “Iphigenia in Taurus.” These seven plays were in a single volume
of a complete collection of Euripides’ works and have survived by chance.
Over the years, the bulk of classic dramas have been lost in the burning
of great libraries, and the loss of personal collections through the accidents
and ravages of time. It is almost miraculous that we have the few copies
which remain.
One of the most hopeful prospects for discovering additional texts is in
the exhumation of graves in Egypt. Papyrus texts were often used in the
mumification of commoners and, as they have been examined by
archeologists, some surprising discoveries have been made.
For example, the only copy we have of a play by the Greek writer
Menander - a profound influence on Roman and Elizabethan playwrights -was
taken from an Egyptian corpse in modern times.
19
The Bacchae
by Euripides
This play is a frightening study of the beauty and horror of religious
ecstasy. It sets in opposition life in nature and life in a cosmopolitan setting. It
prompts the question of what lies beneath the constraints of civilization and
what good and painful things can happen when we free ourselves of those
constraints.
It also presents an ancient view of the gods as coldly indifferent to the
sufferings of humanity, jealous of their prerogatives, and unspeakably cruel in
their punishments. It has been said that none of the characters in this play,
divine or human, come off well.
Some commentators consider this work to be Euripides’ savage, embittered
valedictory to the world as he saw it.
* * *
The god Dionysos begins the play’s
prologue in the shape of a handsome, young
man. He announces that he has come to
introduce his worship and rites to Thebes, the
city and land of his mother, Semele. He tells
of his conception by Zeus, the father of the
gods, and how Semele tricked Zeus into
revealing himself. The sight destroyed her,
but the unborn baby was saved and placed in
his father’s thigh, from whence he was born.
The land is now ruled by Pentheus, son
of Agave, who is sister to Semele. He received
his authority from Kadmus, father of Semele
and Agave. Dionysos makes it clear that
Pentheus must accept his worship and he
summons his followers, women of Asia, to
enter the city and assist him.
The chorus dances in, singing a hymn to
Bacchus (Dionysos), detailing his attributes
and the service due him.
Scene One introduces Kadmus, former
ruler of Thebes, and the aged hermaphroditic
prophet, Teiresias. Both have dressed in faun
skins in order to join in the Bacchic rites
outside city walls. Pentheus enters and scolds
20
the two old men for their foolishness, declaring that the story of Semele giving
birth to a god is a fiction. He is furious that his mother has also joined the
bacchantes. Teiresias lectures Pentheus on the need to give all the gods their
due, but the young man has decided to have the young man who is preaching
this new religion (Dionysos in disguise) arrested.
The chorus sings Ode I, which warns that Pentheus’ behavior is wrong
and dangerous. They end with further praise of Dionysos.
In Scene II, the disguised Dionysos is brought before Pentheus in chains.
After a fruitless argument, Pentheus sends Dionysos to prison.
In Ode II, the chorus again praises Dionysos and gives ominous hints of
the danger in which Pentheus has placed himself.
An earthquake opens Scene
III and Dioynsos walks out of the
palace, free and unfettered. He tells
the chorus how easily he deceived
his captors and walked to freedom.
Pentheus comes from the
palace, furious and upset. He sees
and threatens Dionysos again, but
a messenger interrupts. He has
come from the slopes of Mount
Kithairon where he has seen the
women in their Bacchic rites. At
first, the crowd was peaceful,
causing milk and honey to gush
from the ground, suckling young
animals as if they were babes. But
men, observing the rites, decided to
capture Agave and return her to the
king. At this point, the women went
wild, tearing apart with their bare
hands all living things they
encountered. The messenger
escaped to bring the king this
fearful news.
Pentheus decides to summon
his army and move against the
women. But Dionysos stops him
with a temptation: how would he
like to spy on the women in their
21
revels? Pentheus succumbs
and goes into the palace.
Dionysos follows to effect
the king’s transformation.
The chorus speaks of
wisdom and submission to
the gods in Ode III.
Scene IV opens with
Dioynsos summoning
Pentheus from the palace.
He has dressed the king in
a gown and made him up
to look like a woman.
He then leads the
submissive king off to
witness the revels.
The chorus calls out for
veageance in Ode IV.
A second messenger
enters in Scene V to tell of
the king’s fate. In order that Pentheus might see better, Dionysos bends a tall
tree to the ground and sets the king upon it. As he rises in the air, he is spied
by the women who charge him and bring him to the ground where his mother,
Agave, tears him apart with her bare hands, thinking it is some beast she has
killed. She is returning to the city with Pentheus’ head impaled on a pole.
The chorus sings of their victory over Pentheus in Ode V.
Agave enters, bearing her trophy, calling on the women to celebrate with
her. Kadmos follows, with the gathered remnants of his grandson’s body.
Slowly, he brings Agave out of her trance. When she sees Pentheus’ head, she
screams in terror.
Dionysos then appears on top of the palace and orders Agave to leave the
city. He tells Kadmos that he and his wife, the goddess Harmony, will be
turned into serpents and driven forth as well. But they will be redeemed by
the god Ares, Harmony’s father, later on. Kadmos pleads for mercy, but
Dionysos is unmoved.
The chorus leaves the stage, singing of the gods’ mysterious ways.
22
Thoughts about the play
As long as human beings have been self-aware (and just when that
occurred in human history is a fascinating subject for study and discussion)
they have speculated about the meaning of life.
Through science, humans have subjected all experience to rigorous, selfcorrecting study. But the sciences do not deal with the ultimates of life. Where
science ends, philosophy begins, seeking to find meaning and purpose in our
existence.
Religion is also concerned with ultimate answers, but seeks them from
divine revelation, especially from sacred texts which have been accumulated
over time: the Torah, the Gospels, the Quran, and sacred writing of India and
the Orient. These religious sources stand apart from science and do not
depend on objective study.
There is a third way to deal with ultimate questions and that is tragedy.
We use the term to mean something sad or horrific, but that is just one aspect
of tragedy. The term actually means a kind of traversal in search of truth; an
illustration of some aspect of life’s meaning.
A tragedy usually involves a person of exceptional ability who sets out to
achieve a goal and never deviates from it, seeing it through to its conclusion.
The audience is invited to watch the process and draw personal conclusions
from it.
“The Bacchae” examines one of the major ethical debates of the Fifth
Century B.C.E.: the conflict between nomos and physis. (The following is
adapted, in part, from an article by classicist Charles Segal)
Nomos (law or custom) stands for social practices and established
institutions. The play concerns the attempt to bring Dionysian worship safely
into the realm of accepted custom.
Physis (roughly, nature) refers to the instincts, appetites, and demands
of the body which are kept in check by Nomos. It could be argued that Nomos
is an artificial restraint on something more basic than human institutions.
Physis includes aspects of the natural world beyond human control, not made
by human design, but to which humans may be subject.
Nomos is used to keep these aggressive, dangerous traits under control
and to make orderly society possible. If everyone lived by the instinctual
impulses we share with animals, what we call civilization would be impossible.
23
In the play, Pentheus attempts to ban what he considers a dangerous
religious rite for the good of the community. In doing so, he unwittingly
unleases its deeper, more frightening characteristics. Religious ecstasy, when
placed under constraint, may erupt in dangerous, even disastrous ways.
The Nomos-Physis dichotomy is just one aspect of this fascinating play,
but it offers perhaps the most fruitful material for discussion. The end result
of the actions of both Dionysos and Pentheus bring death and social upheaval
to the city of Thebes. The god is no better than the man in this regard.
Religon can be as savage in its expression as human institutions.
Dionysos may be viewed as the god of Letting Go. Again and again in the
play, he is cited as The Releaser, one who liberates humans from the
mundane restraints of life through wine, singing, dancing, and illusioninducing power of the mask and theatre.
But to what extent may one release oneself from the safety of those rules
and conventions which constitute an orderly and balanced society? How much
of one should a person give up for the other?
As do all tragedies, “The Bacchae” elicits these and other thoughts, which
is why watching and contemplating such plays helps us come to an
understanding of what it means to be human.
24
Aristophanes
Little is known about the man considered by many scholars to be the
theatre’s finest author of comedies. He was born around 445 B.C.E. into a
wealthy family, the son of Philippus. His family probably belonged to the class
of Athenians known as “Knights,” “the prosperous, generally conservative
stratum of society between the rich aristocracy and the peasants and urban
proletariat.”
Something of his life may be gleaned from his plays. We know that he
was bald, that his family had an interest in the island of Aegina, that he never
staged his own plays, preferring to hand them over to a producer/director,
and that he had a life-long dislike for an Athenian leader named Kleon, whom
he attacked in many of his plays.
His outlook is generally conservative, in opposition to the new democratic
structure of his city-state. In all of his extant plays, there are direct or indirect
references to the tragedies of Euripides. He makes fun of them, but seems to
be drawn to some of the ideas expressed in
them. So much so that the comic poet
Cratinus coined a word to express the
phenomenon: “Euripidaristophanization.”
His comedies are a fascinating blend of
lyricism, satire, and obscenity. It’s not often
that his plays are presented as written; many
of them would cause a scandal if not
abridged or adapted.
Eleven of his fifty-plus comedies survive,
all of them touching on events and ideas
prevalent in Athens during his lifetime.
Although he satirized Socrates in “The
Clouds,” he may very well have been involved
with the intellectuals who were part of that
philosophic circle. He figures in Plato’s
Symposium, in which he and Socrates
outdrink all the other guests, ending the
night-long party in conversation.
Aristophanes won more first prizes than
any other comic poet. He died shortly after
the production of “Plutus,” somewhere
around 385 B.C. He was survived by three
sons - Philippos, Araros, and Nikostratos - all
of whom followed in his profession.
25
Most of Aristophanes’ comedies dealt with the ongoing (and, ultimately,
losing) war with Sparta. He ridicules Athenian generals and conjures up
outlandish means of obtaining peace.
After Athens lost the war in 404 B.C.E., Aristophanes’ plays lost some of
their bite. He began to write comedies which deal, not so much with politics,
as with with the human condition. These include “Ecclesiazusae” (a satire in
which the poet imagines that women have taken over the government), and
“Plutus.”
Aristophanes’ surviving comedies:
The Acharnians
The Birds
The Clouds
Ecclesiazusae
The Frogs
The Knights
Lysistrata
Peace
Plutus
Thesmophoriazusae
The Wasps
26
Plutus
by Aristophanes
This play is strikingly different from all which preceded it. Some
commentators consider it an example of a new genre, Middle Comedy, of which
it is the only example. It was to be followed by New Comedy, exemplified by the
humorous, romantic writing of Meander. Again, we have only one example of
New Comedy, “The Diskolos.”
In “Plutus,” Aristophanes does not attack an individual or specific
situation, but rather offers a travesty of myth which can be widely understood.
His premise is that good men are afflicted with poverty because Plutus (Wealth)
is blind.
When his blindness is miraculously cured, the improvement this brings
about obviously will be quickly undercut by human greed and ambition.
Because of its easily understood theme and action, “Plutus” was one of
Aristophanes’ most widely read plays.
Instead of written choral interludes between scenes, the text simply
indicates a place for them. It shares this characteristic with New Comedy and
may mark the beginning of such a tradition.
* * *
The blind god Plutus is groping his way along an Athenian street,
followed by Chremylus and his slave, Cario. When Cario asks why they are
doing this, his master tells him that the Oracle at Delphi told him to follow
the first man he met if he wished to be wealthy.
When they finally accost Plutus, they learn his identity. Plutus pleads to
be let go, claiming that, once men know who he is, they imprison him.
Chremylus swears that he is not that sort of fellow and to prove it, he will find
a means of curing the god’s blindness so that he can give his wealth to
deserving men.
A chorus of poor, but deserving men enter, excited by the prospect of
finally receiving their just rewards in life. A shady character, Blepsidemus,
discovers that Chremylus is newly rich and plots to be cut in on his friend’s
good fortune. He bids farewell to Lady Poverty, who is distressed to learn that
she will be losing the company of honest men and will soon be served by
formerly-rich scoundrels.
27
(At is point, the guild’s version of the plot wanders off into a series of plots
by various suspect persons and groups to secure the blessings of wealth. These
are portrayed in a variety of songs and routines of a vaudevillian nature.)
At the play’s conclusion, Plutus learns that, even with his sight restored
and despite his determination to reward only the honest, his wealth will
ultimately wind up in the hands of the unscrupulous.
28
For the seventh year, Ballet Quad Cities will present a free program in
Lincoln Park as part of the Genesius Guild’s summer schedule of classic
performances. This year, “Ballet Under the Stars” will move from the beginning
of the summer schedule to the end, and will present several works for three
consecutive evenings: August 22, 23, and 24 (Friday through Sunday).
With this shift, “Ballet Under the Stars” not only ends the guild’s season,
but also provides an introduction to BQC’s winter season.
The program will be drawn from the BQC repertoire of favorite innovative
and original ballets.
GENESIUS GUILD SUMMER SEASONS
1957 Sophocles:
Antigone
1958 Sophocles:
Oedipus Rex
1959 Euripides:
Iphigenia in Aulis
1960 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Alcestis
Henry IV, Part One
1961 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Antigone
Henry IV, Part One
Macbeth
The Birds
1962 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Ajax
Twelfth Night
Othello
The Frogs
1963 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Medea
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
Richard II
The Clouds
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
1964 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Shaw:
Shaw:
Moeller:
1965 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
The Trojan Women
Much Ado About Nothing
Coriolanus
The Acharnians
Don Juan in Hell
The Dark Lady of the
Sonnets
Helena’s Husband
Elektra
The Tempest
Macbeth
1966 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Oedipus Rex
Hamlet
“Sounds and Sweet Airs”
Thesmophoriazusae
1967 Aeschylus:
Shakespeare:
Fry:
Prometheus Bound
Julius Caesar
A Phoenix Too Frequent
1968 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Ajax
The Merry Wives of
Windsor
Richard III
Peace
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
1969 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
The
The
The
The
Bacchae
Merchant of Venice
Comedy of Errors
Wasps
29
1970 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Philoctetes
As You Like It
Measure for Measure
Ecclesiazusae
1971 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Hecuba
The Taming of a Shrew
King Lear
Plutus
1972 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Antigone
Henry IV, Part One
Henry IV, Part Two
The Knights
1973 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Barber:
Menotti:
Medea
Romeo and Juliet
The Birds
A Hand of Bridge
The Old Maid and the Thief
1974 Aeschylus:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Floyd:
Dougherty:
Seven Against Thebes
Twelfth Night
Antony and Cleopatra
Slow Dusk
Many Moons
1975 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
The Trojan Women
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
“Sounds and Sweet Airs”
The Frogs
1976 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Mascagni:
The Bacchae
The Tempest
Much Ado About Nothing
The Clouds
Cavalleria Rusticana
1977 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Copland:
Oedipus at Colonus
Richard II
Thesmophoriazusae
The Tender Land
1978 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Gilbert-Sullivan:
Elektra
Julius Caesar
Ecclesiazusae
The Mikado
1979 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Oedipus Rex
The Merry Wives of
Windsor
Shakespeare:
Richard III
Aristophanes:
The Acharnians
Gilbert-sullivan: H.M.S. Pinafore
30
1980 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Greissecker:
Gilbert-Sullivan:
Alcestis
Measure for Measure
Royal Gambit
The Pirates of Penzance
1981 Aeschylus:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Shaw:
Shaw:
Prometheus Bound
Hamlet
The Wasps
Don Juan in Hell
The Dark Lady of the
Sonnets
Fry:
A Phoenix Too Frequent
Gheon:
The Comedian
Gilbert-Sullivan: The Yeoman of the Guard
1982 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Gilbert-Sullivan:
Antigone
As You Like It
Coriolanus
Plutus
The Mikado
1983 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Menotti:
various:
Medea
The Taming of the Shrew
Romeo and Juliet
The Birds
The Telephone
Arias
1984 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Offenbach:
Hippolytus
The Comedy of Errors
Othello
The Frogs
Ba-Ta-Clan
1985 Sophocles:
Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Giroudoux:
Moeller:
Offenbach:
1986 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Offenbach:
1987 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Moliere:
Offenbach:
Shakespeare:
1988 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Mozart:
Menotti:
Shaw:
Shakespeare:
The Bacchae
The Two Gentlemen of
Verona
The Merchant of Venice
The Clouds
The Impresario
The Old Maid and the Thief
Don Juan in Hell
(R.I. Library)
“Sound & Sweet Airs”
(R.I. Library)
1989 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Mozart:
Oedipus at Colonus
Henry IV, Part One
Henry IV, Part Two
Thesmophoriazusae
Cosi fan tutte
1990 Aeschylus:
The Oresteia
Agamemnon
The Choephores
The Eumenides
Henry V
Ecclesiazusae
The Marriage of Figaro
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Mozart:
1991 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Mozart:
Eliot:
Oedipus Rex
Twelfth Night
Much Ado About Nothing
The Acharnians
The Magic Flute
Murder in the Cathedral
(various churches)
Ajax
Helen
Troilus and Cressida
The Tiger at the Gates
Helena’s Husband
La Belle Helene
1992 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Salieri:
Mozart:
Antigone
All’s Well That Ends Well
King John
The Wasps
A Little Harlequinade
The Goose of Cairo
The Women of Trachis
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
Macbeth
Peace
Orpheus in the Underworld
1993 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Mozart:
Hecuba
Merry Wives of Windsor
The Tempest
Plutus
La Finta Giardiniera
1994: Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Mozart:
Medea
As You Like It
Measure for Measure
Peace
Don Giovanni
The Trojan Women
The Winter’s Tale
The Knights
The Doctor in Spite of
Himself
La Perichole
King Lear (Deere)
31
1995: Euripides:
Andromache
Shakespeare:
A Comedy of Errors
Shakespeare:
Antony & Cleopatra
Aristophanes
The Knights
Mozart:
Bastien and Bastienne
Barab:
Little Red Riding Hood
A Shakespeare Review
(Regional Rotary Meeting)
1996 Aeschylus:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Mozart:
The Persians
Love’s Labour’s Lost
King Lear
The Birds
A Retrospective Concert
1997 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Ballet Under the
Alcestis
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Romeo & Juliet
The Frogs
Stars
1998 Euripides:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Ballet Under the
Elektra
The Taming of the Shrew
Julius Caesar
The Clouds
Stars
1999 Sophocles:
Shakespeare:
Shakespeare:
Aristophanes:
Ballet Under the
Ajax
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Richard II
Thesmophoriazusae
Stars
2000 Aeschylus:
The Suppliants
Shakespeare:
Twelfth Night
Shakespeare:
Richard III
Aristophanes:
Ecclesiazusae
Ballet Under the Stars
“Shakespeare: A Working Professional”
“Shakespeare: His Life In His Works”
2001 Euripides:
The Trojan Women
Shaw:
Dark Lady Of the Sonnets
Fry:
A Phoenix Too Frequent
Shakespeare:
Hamlet
Aristophanes:
The Acharnians
Ballet Under the Stars
“The Idea Of Tragedy”
2002 Aeschylus:
Gheon:
Prometheus Bound
Parade At the
Devil’s Bridge
The Sausage-Maker’s
Interlude
Anon:
Miracle of St. Nicholas
3 School Clerks
Shakespeare:
Macbeth
Aristophanes:
The Wasps
Puccini:
Gianni Schicchi
Ballet Under the Stars
2003 Euripides:
The Bacchae
Shakespeare:
Henry IV, Part One
Shakespeare:
Henry IV, Part Two
Aristophanes:
Plutus
Gilbert & Sullivan: Trial by Jury
Ballet Under the Stars